Texas crop report
The following specific livestock, crop and weather conditions were reported by district extension directors:

Showers tease drought-plagued N. Texas growers
COLLEGE STATION (AP) Recent scattered showers teased North Texas producers with drought relief while strong winds dried up the moisture just as quickly as it came, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service reports.

Urban expansion into open space doubles in 1990s
WASHINGTON {AP} Americans have doubled the development of farmland, forests and other open space during the 1990s, according to a government report that is likely to fuel the debate over suburban sprawl.
Nearly 16 million acres of land were converted to development between 1992 and 1997 a rate of 3.2 million per year, the Agriculture Department said Monday. Between 1982 and 1992, the development rate was 1.4 million acres a year.

TDA issues reminder about hotline service
AUSTIN (AP) With dry weather worsening across the state, the Texas Department of Agriculture is reminding livestock producers that its telephone hotline service continues to match hay sellers with buyers.

Farm Crisis Hotline receives increase in callers seeking help
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Callers seeking either mental health or farm financial counseling have increased to the Farm Crisis Hotline since the harvest ended, just as coordinator Michelle Soll feared it would.
''It has picked up like we had expected,'' Soll said Tuesday. Near-record low crop prices did not improve through the harvest, and pressure from financial institutions to pay debts will only increase as loans come due at the end of the month.

Wildlife gets boost from group
AUSTIN {AP} Landowners who help protect endangered species could get financial and technical assistance from a private group that pushes for economical solutions to environmental problems.

Business Today December 8, 1999
PROVIDENCE, R.I. Hasbro Inc. will slash 2,200 jobs, or 19 percent of its work force, and close two plants as the world's No. 2 toymaker moves to expand its offerings of software and electronic toys.

Consumers beaming over infrared
WASHINGTON (AP) Forget the pen and paper. It's all about beaming information.
When Steve Kan and his mother sat down one recent afternoon to swap family addresses and phone numbers, they simply lined up their handheld computing devices, pressed a button and instantly beamed complete lists to each other.

AGCO-Tye to shut down plant
LOCKNEY Nearly half a century of agricultural manufacturing will end here next year when AGCO-Tye Co. closes its doors for the last time.

Wireless merger in the clear
WASHINGTON (AP) Bell Atlantic, Vodafone AirTouch and GTE have the Justice Department's approval to create a coast-to-coast wireless telephone network after they agreed to the largest sale of assets the government ever demanded as a condition of approving a merger.
The department's antitrust division announced Monday night that it approved Bell Atlantic's wireless partnership with Vodafone and its merger with GTE after forcing the telephone companies to agree to sell wireless businesses in 96 markets in 15 states.

Speaker stresses importance of positive criticism
Corporate America must continue to come to grips with the dynamics of positive criticism or risk struggling in a market rife with competition, said Hank Weisinger, who was in Lubbock on Tuesday to speak at a Texas Tech Center for Corporate Development function.

Business Today December 9, 1999
CHICAGO One-stop shopping is now available at the nation's largest bank, where customers can buy insurance and investment products from the same branch employee who sells them banking services.

Tech's point guard will never be the same
On his mental calendar, Rayford Young had Dec. 21-23 circled at this time last year. Those were the dates of a holiday tournament trip to Hawaii. Those were the days that, if the games went as planned, Texas Tech had a chance to face Michigan State, which meant Rayford Young had a chance to face Mateen Cleaves.
One dynamite lead guard meets another.

Leach's task to make all Raiders' pieces fit
Run to grass. That's the man's catch phrase. Late in a practice, if the legs ached or confusion set in, that's what Oklahoma receivers were told to remember. Don't make the offense more difficult than it is. Just run to grass.
''It's not real complex,'' Sooners receiver Jarrail Jackson said last month. ''The basis to it is just get open. 'Run to grass' is what he tells you all the time. It's really not that hard to pick up.''

Y2K Fears Pose Problems
PERCEPTIONS OFTEN BREED REALITY, which is why we are concerned about the huge Johnny-come-lately crowd now starting to jump on the Y2K survivalists' bandwagon.
With most computers and computer-related equipment updated for Y2K compliance in recent years, we are not too concerned about widespread power outages, the electronic loss of funds held by banks or other computer-generated catastrophes. Such things are not likely to happen when the clock ticks us into 2000. At least they are not likely in the U.S., where the Y2K bug has been fixed for the most part.

Rights Issue Pending
DISPUTES OVER MINERAL RIGHTS beneath Lake Alan Henry in Garza County have cost Lubbock taxpayers millions of dollars, yet the city still hasn't been able to secure all the rights necessary to clear the way for the 2,884-acre reservoir to serve as a source of drinking water.
After spending $5.4 million to secure most of the mineral rights, the city still needs one person to sign on the dotted line. Dallas businessman Bert Fields owns the mineral rights to 138 acres of reservoir property. He and the city haven't been able to agree on two issues -- the value of the mineral rights and who will absorb future liability.

Justice For Juveniles
"Adolescents with serious behavioral problems are seven times more likely to be dependent on alcohol or illicit drugs. But ... our policy toward their misbehaviors, however egregious, has become more and more punitive."

Buckle Up Children
TRAGICALLY, EVERY DAY, children are seriously injured and killed in automobiles for one simple reason: An adult failed to buckle them up.

Morris special to air on KTXT-TV
The hour-long special "Gary Morris & The Art of the Tretyakov" will air at 9 p.m. today on KTXT-TV (channel 5, Cox Cable channel 4).

Gay male doll upsets boxer, model
He's barely a foot tall, but the world's first gay black doll may have gotten himself into a fight already.
Handlers for boxer Mike Tyson and supermodel Tyson Beckford are not amused by an anatomically correct plastic plaything named Tyson.

Stein, Bernstein recall days of yore in special
NEW YORK Does all life imitate high school? Do we muddle through our adult years permanently affected by our ability to fit into a world of jocks, nerds, eggheads, tough guys and cheerleaders?

Movie departures
According to booking announcements made by Lubbock movie theater officials this week, the following films are expected to depart Friday:

Griffin tells dangers from liposuction
Kathy Griffin of "Suddenly Susan" says she was a size 4 to begin with but risked her life in a liposuction surgery that went wrong in her quest to lose inches.

Christmas craze
TOKYO {AP} Like just about every other 10-year-old in Japan, Yasuyo Nakatani's son is addicted to Pikachu.
For an hour or two each day, the Pokemon character has him under its spell. So what's a mother at the epicenter of the Pokemon empire to do?

Toys should be age, ability appropriate
In an instant, bows and ribbons are tossed aside. Brightly colored wrapping paper is ripped away faster than the speed of light. Little hands dive in to grab their new treasure with all the boundless enthusiasm a 6-year-old can hold. No less than beams of joy radiate from the child's twinkling eyes and gleaming smile.

Writer addresses television president
NEW YORK {AP} I don't often dash off mash notes to the President of the United States. After all, how often does the chief executive, whoever he might be, do something I approve of? Besides, I hate writing letters.

Mentor program makes big difference in boy's life
Ask Sonya Saldivar for a success story and she readily tells about Hector, who had a change of heart when a group of college students devoted a little extra time to him.
Saldivar serves as children's facilitator for Students Educating Exceptional Kids, or SEEK, and Hector is just one of the 76 children helped so far.

House parent returns to roots at Children's Home
Michael Brassfield remembers feeling very blessed to be living in the white stucco cottage referred to back then as the orphanage.
''There were many things I had because I lived here that my natural siblings weren't afforded,'' he said.

Randy Rosetta: One day can definitely make a big difference
Over the course of a lifetime, you just don't expect one single day to make that big of a difference in your life or to be that much more memorable than any other day.
The Hereford football team very well could have one of those days coming up Saturday when they meet Texas City in the 1999 Class 4A Division I state championship game at Texas Stadium.

Monterey stuffs Frenship
WOLFFORTH Eventually, either Monterey's or Frenship's basketball team had to succumb to each other's tough defense.
And it was Monterey that ended up delivering the lethal dose of turnover-inducing pressure defense as the MHS girls pulled out a 59-48 victory on Tuesday.

Celebrate Yuletide
Celebrate YuletideThis holiday season we will make several observations: Folks rushing about struggling to make the deadline getting gifts for loved ones and friends.

Thanksgiving Festival
The parishioners of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone for attending Pep's 54th Thanksgiving Festival on Nov. 25.
We wish to thank the newspapers, television and radio stations for their help in getting the word out to the public.

Voting Rights Act
We are quickly approaching the 21st century and we were wondering if anyone out there knew what the significance of the year 2007 is to black America? Did you know that our right to vote will expire in the year 2007? The Voters Rights Act signed in 1965 by Lyndon B. Johnson was just an act. It was not made a law. In 1982, Ronald Reagan amended the Voters Rights Act for another 25 years. Which means that in the year 2007 we could lose the right to vote!

Renaming Theater
It always disturbs me when society measures a man's success in terms of how much money he makes as opposed to how much service a man provides to upgrade his fellowman. Many highly successful persons are paid a pittance for the service they provide, yet they are highly successful and deserving of society's honors.

True Generosity
Today (12-4) I had the pleasure to join with a lot of other Lubbock Lions Club members and ring the bell for the Salvation Army. Since it was the coldest day I can remember in a long time, and a Saturday in addition, I was not looking forward to spending the time outdoors.
As usual, I find that when I do something for others even when it is not convenient, I gain a lot more than I give. I met a lot of nice people, really enjoyed myself and was witness to true generosity. True generosity is watching folks who obviously work hard to make a living give money that they could use themselves to help others less fortunate than themselves.

Teacher Shortage
Teacher ShortageI read an article the other day about the shortage of teachers in Lubbock. Is this a

Kids in the Kitchen
Instead of spending hours at the mall helping your child find the "perfect gift" for grand parents and teachers, turn your kitchen into a holiday bake shop. While you're having fun, the two of you can create scrumptious gifts and lasting memories.
A homemade baking mix--cookie, bread or scone--is a kid-friendly choice for holiday giving and can be easily assembled. Once the mixes are ready to go, kids can use their creativity to package them with ingredi ents and decorations that do not need refrigeration along with instructions for completing the recipe.

Recipe Exchange
Kim Moon sent in a request for spinach dip, artichoke dip or any holiday dips. Katie Gilbert sent in the following recipe:

Schools invent creative ways to support U Can Share drive
With strains of the "Rocky" theme filling the air, Robert Bacon steps through the office door to the screams of hundreds of children. Undaunted by the heavy Sumo wrestler's costume he is wearing, Bacon pumps his fists in the air and jogs beside the crowd, touching outstretched hands for support.
Bacon, a fifth-grade teacher at Bayless Elementary, is just one of several Bayless men who volunteered to don the heavy, hot Sumo suits and put on an exhibition wrestling match as part of an event to raise food for the U Can Share Food Drive.

Christmas crackers now for gardeners
Yuletide in England is not all lessons and carols from Gothic piles; sometimes the British have fun by pulling Christmas crackers decoratively wrapped cylinders that pop with a bang to reveal diverse party favors.

Club to hold Christmas luncheon
The Christian Women's Club of Lubbock will have their "Candlelight and Snowflakes" Luncheon Dec. 14 at the Lubbock Country Club, located at 3400 Mesa Blvd.

Former SPARC patient outlines fraud scheme
A 25-year-old former South Plains AIDS Resource Center client and employee was paid to perform clerical and educational duties with federal grant money designed to provide housing assistance, he testified in federal court on Tuesday.

Fired policeman fights for job in arbitration case
A Lubbock police officer fired for pulling his gun on a woman during a routine traffic stop asked an arbitrator Wednesday to compel the city to reinstate his employment.
Police officials testified during the arbitration hearing that two-year Officer Daimon Hail overreacted while attempting to stop a woman for speeding June 12 on North Loop 289.

Tech students show off models for Silent Wings
Planners of the Silent Wings Museum honoring the World War II pilots who helped spearhead all major invasions got a chance Wednesday to pick up design tips from Texas Tech architecture students.

LISD considers new insurance plan
Teachers and other Lubbock Independent School District employees can expect to pay more in health insurance contributions if trustees approve changes to the district's health plan.

Bioterrorism lab study tops regents' agenda
Texas Tech regents will decide today and Friday in Midland whether to give an architecture firm the go-ahead to begin planning a specialized laboratory capable of handling the deadly agents involved in bioterrorism.
The planning officially called a ''feasibility study'' would be conducted by Budd, Beets, Harden and Kolflat, a firm housed in Austin and Houston.

Snyder man alleges age discrimination
A 45-year-old Snyder man filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against his former employer, Weatherford Enterra, U.S. Inc., alleging age and disability discrimination.

Rape victim testifies against Rowton
ODESSA The woman whom Eddie Rowton was convicted of beating and raping in 1992, gave disturbing testimony of the assault Wednesday during the punishment phase of Rowton's capital murder trial.

Tech student killed as van strikes tree
A Texas Tech student was killed and another injured Tuesday morning when the van they were riding in crashed into a tree just south of Eastland, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said.

Museum drawings to be displayed
A display of architectural designs for a proposed Silent Wings Museum at Lubbock will be shown from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Municipal Garden and Arts Center, 4215 University Ave.

Juvenile Justice Center head may be named today
A successor may be named today for Lubbock County Juvenile Justice Center Director Joel Trevino, who resigned in September during investigation into allegations he misused county travel funds.

Former SPARC client suspicious of pay method
A former South Plains AIDS Resource Center client testified Wednesday that he was led to believe that it was legal for him to be paid through ''phantom'' paychecks made out to his girlfriend.

Guilty plea on drugs gets Lomas 20 years
Luis Lomas, a Lubbock man accused of forcing his 22-year-old girlfriend into a crawl space under his house and beating and raping her repeatedly for six days, pleaded guilty to a drug charge Wednesday in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence.

Parents take case against LISD to high court
The parents of a 14-year-old boy who died after nearly drowning at a school party have asked the state Supreme Court to review their case against the Lubbock Independent School District.

Rowton guilty in '92 murder of 5-year-old
ODESSA Eddie Rowton remained stoic Tuesday as he was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering 5-year-old Shawnlee Perry of Earth in 1992.
A six-man, six-woman jury deliberated for about one hour before convicting Rowton of capital murder. The punishment phase of the trial is set to begin today. Rowton faces life in prison or death by lethal injection.

Bed-wetting campaign features McGwire
Don't be surprised if you hear baseball slugger Mark McGwire on the radio or television talking about bed-wetting this season. Last month, the National Kidney Foundation launched a public service campaign on bed-wetting, or enuresis, featuring the record-breaking slugger.

Medical center to present van to EMS group
Officials from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center's School of Allied Health will donate a van to the South Plains Emergency Medical Services (SPEMS) at 11 a.m. today, during a brief ceremony at TTUHSC, 3601 Fourth St., on the main drive at the northeast corner of the campus.

A Problem with Sex
She glibly calls it the gift that keeps on giving, but she really means a nightmare that haunts her.
With a guarantee of anonymity, the 31-year-old woman related the story of her first sexual encounter at the age of 21, and how it turned her life upside down. Even 10 years later, the incurable virus that lurks in her body feeds a fear that hides in the shadow of her thoughts and dreams.

Agency blames gene therapy in death of teen
BETHESDA, Md. {AP} An Arizona teen-ager who died in a gene therapy experiment should never have been part of the study and researchers who conducted it violated at least two rules of the testing, federal officials said Wednesday.

Michael Gaffney: Beware, hangovers ahead
When that traditional phrase is widely exclaimed come the stroke of midnight Jan. 1, if you are among the partiers imbibing in champagne or other distilled spirits at the jubilant moment, you may wake up New Year's Day with a hangover.

Nation's health getting better
Are you better off than you were 10 years ago? A new report from the Minnesota-based United Health Group suggests that at least people are healthier 15 percent healthier.

Clinton asks for doctors to admit errors
WASHINGTON {AP} Doctors and the government have a moral obligation to report and correct medical mistakes that kill or injure thousands each year, President Clinton said Tuesday. He announced new steps to confront the problem and promised more money to improve accountability.
Clinton said he doubts that better reporting of medical errors will leave doctors and hospitals vulnerable to more lawsuits. But even if he's wrong, he said, they must feel free to reveal mistakes or what press secretary Joe Lockhart called "near misses," situations when medical professionals erred but did not kill the patient.

Autism drug no better than placebo
An enzyme hailed by parents of some autistic children as a possible miracle cure worked no better than a placebo in its first two rigorous studies. But just being part of a study helped some of the children greatly.

Boy, 9, lived with corpse of his dead mother
MEMPHIS, Tenn. {AP} A 9-year-old boy whose mother died at home lived with the corpse for a month, fixing his own meals and attending school without fail, because he was afraid he'd be put in foster care if anyone found out.

Cuba wins two battles against United States
HAVANA {AP} Cuba's communist government enjoyed two partial victories over the United States on Wednesday, with American officials recognizing that a father can assert his claim to take his son back to Cuba and agreeing to return a group of suspected boat hijackers to the island.

Fired policeman fights for job in arbitration case
A Lubbock police officer fired for pulling his gun on a woman during a routine traffic stop asked an arbitrator Wednesday to compel the city to reinstate his employment.
Police officials testified during the arbitration hearing that two-year Officer Daimon Hail overreacted while attempting to stop a woman for speeding June 12 on North Loop 289.

Firefighters mired in tedious search days after deadly fire
WORCESTER, Mass. {AP} Firefighters sifted ash and soot through a screen Wednesday in hopes of finding anything a button, a badge, a body part that could lead them to the bodies of their comrades, still missing in the smoldering ruins of an abandoned warehouse.

DOE issues new limits for beryllium
WASHINGTON {AP} The Energy Department on Wednesday revised a half-century-old standard for nuclear workers' exposure to beryllium, which can cause chronic lung disease, directing its contractors to minimize new risk and screen for early detection of the illness.

Homeless couple charged in death of six firefighters
WORCESTER, Mass. {AP} A homeless couple who allegedly knocked over a candle during an argument were charged with involuntary manslaughter Tuesday in connection with the warehouse blaze that killed six firefighters.
Thomas S. Levesque, 37, and Julie S. Barnes, 19, had been living together on the second floor of the abandoned warehouse for several months, District Attorney John J. Conte said. The blaze started Friday night when they allegedly knocked over a candle.

President terms year 'very productive'
WASHINGTON {AP} President Clinton summarized his year of impeachment and legislative battles as "very productive" on Wednesday while, on foreign problems, he refused to take sides in a child custody dispute with Cuba and rejected halting aid to Russia for its bombing in Chechnya.

Michigan man indicted in plot to nab O'Hair
AUSTIN {AP} An ex-convict in custody in Detroit was indicted Tuesday on charges that he conspired to kidnap Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the atheist leader who has been missing since 1995.

Jury says MLK was victim of vast murder conspiracy
MEMPHIS, Tenn. {AP} A jury hearing a lawsuit filed by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family found Wednesday that the civil rights leader was the victim of a vast murder conspiracy, not a lone assassin.

Vice president won't promise no new taxes
WASHINGTON {AP} Vice President Al Gore, who spent the past week hammering Bill Bradley for refusing to rule out future tax increases, declined Wednesday to make his own no-new-taxes pledge. "Nobody has a crystal ball," Gore said.

Last two youths from camp captured
CEDAR CITY, Utah {AP} The last two teen-age boys who escaped from a wilderness program for troubled youths after allegedly assaulting two counselors were taken into custody early Wednesday during a snowstorm.

Soldier convicted of murder
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. An Army private was found guilty of premeditated murder Wednesday for bludgeoning to death a fellow soldier in a beating prosecutors said was motivated by his hatred of homosexuals.

Cecil Holbrooks
SEMINOLE (Special) Services for Cecil Marshall Holbrooks, 46, of Seminole will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Community Chapel with the Rev. Glen Gilham officiating.

Norma Stallings
SAN ANTONIO (Special) Services for Norma Jean Stallings, 69, will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Sunset Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. H. Ray Davis officiating.

James Lover
CROCKETT (Special) Services for James Robert "Jim" Lover, 61, of Grapeland will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Callaway-Allee Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Jeff Loudin officiating.

Billy Pittman
EARTH (Special) Services for Billy Morris Pittman, 72, of Earth will be at 2 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church with the Rev. Bobby Broyles and the Rev. David Hartman officiating.

A.L. Walsh
LEVELLAND (Special) Masonic graveside services for Dr. A.L. Walsh, 73, of Levelland will be at 10 a.m. today in the City of Levelland Cemetery by Levelland Lodge No. 1236 AF and AM.

Elsie Menix
LAMESA (Special) Services for Elsie Menix, 87, of Lamesa will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Grace Lutheran Church with the Rev. Leonard Ristow officiating.

John Stanley
KERMIT (SPECIAL) Memorial services for John J. Stanley, 77, of Amherst will be at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Bellview Baptist Church with the Rev. Tony Hedges officiating.

Larry Hammonds
FRIONA (Special) Memorial services for Larry W. Hammonds, 49, of Amarillo will be at 2 p.m. today at Ellis-Blackwell Funeral Home with the Rev. Gary Morgan officiating.

P.G. Beauchamp
ROCHESTER (Special) Services for P.G. Beauchamp Sr., 91, of Rule will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church with the Rev. Scott Hensley and Dale Turner officiating.

Herbert Greener
MORTON (Special) Rosary for Herbert G. Greener, 71, of Morton will be said at 7 p.m. today at Ellis Funeral Home Chapel. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Ann's Catholic Church with the Rev. Ricardo Salditos officiating.

Janet Mitchell
Memorial services for Janet Mary Mitchell, 64, of Lovington, N.M., will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Metropolitan Community Church with the Rev. Renae Phillips officiating.

Corina Villa
STANTON (Special) Rosary for Corina Villa, 60, of Stanton will be recited at 8 p.m. today at Stanton Memorial Funeral Home and Chapel. Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Church with the Rev. Arturo Pestin officiating.

David Campbell
FLOYDADA (Special) Services for David Leonard Campbell, 80, of Floydada will be at 2 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Wendell Horn officiating.

Genero Cabrera
ROTAN (Special) Rosary for Genero Cabrera, 91, of Lubbock will be said at 7 p.m. today at Weathersbee Funeral Home. Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church with the Rev. Johnrose Hayden officiating.

Gilbert Madison Sr.
STANTON (Special) Services for Gilbert I. "Gib" Madison Sr., 94, of Lenorah will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church with the Rev. David Harp and the Rev. Leandro Gonzales officiating.

Lynda Flory
MATADOR (Special) Services for Lynda Jaynell Flory, 56, of Matador will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Matador Church of Christ with Michael Crowley officiating.

Gary Stagner
HEREFORD (Special) Graveside services for Gary V. Stagner, 52, of Coppell will be at 10 a.m. Friday at West Park Cemetery. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church with the Rev. Terry Crosby officiating.

L.H. Medlin
LITTLEFIELD (SPECIAL) Memorial services for L.H. "Buck" Medlin, 77, of Littlefield will be at 11 a.m. today at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. George C. Price Jr. officiating.

James Brooks
OLTON (Special) Services for James T. Brooks, 89, of Olton will be at 10 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Olton with the Rev. Kyle Streun officiating.

Santana Flores
PLAINS (Special) Mass for Santana Flores, 74, of Plains will be celebrated at 2 p.m. today at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with the Rev. Andreas Medoza officiating.

Paul Turnbow
LAMESA (Special) Services for Paul Turnbow, 58, of Andrews will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Calvary Baptist Church with the Rev. Mike Henson officiating.

Porter Wheeler
RALLS (Special) Services for Porter "Pete" Wheeler, 95, of Ralls will be at 2 p.m. today at Emma Church of Christ with Ken Free officiating.

Porfirio Mejia
BOVINA (Special) Memorial services for Porfirio G. Mejia, 66, of Memphis, Texas will be at 6 p.m. today at First Baptist Church with the Rev. Justin Lemons officiating. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church with the Rev. Isaiah Mejia officiating.

Janet Mitchell
Memorial services for Janet Mary Mitchell, 64, of Lovington, N.M., will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Metropolitan Community Church with the Rev. Renae Phillips officiating.

Inez Harrison
Services for Inez Harrison, 79, of Lubbock will be at 3 p.m. today at Resthaven's Abbey Chapel with the Rev. Richard Rush officiating.

Ruth Drake
ROPESVILLE (Special) Services for Ruth Gibson Drake, 38, of Ropesville will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at First United Methodist Church with the Revs. Bill Titus and Kay Reed officiating.

Parents Television Council puts the hurt on WWF
To hear the folks over at the World Wrestling Federation tell it, Coca-Cola's decision to pull its advertising wasn't a severe blow to the pseudo-sports entertainment giant.
According to Iwrestling.com, an Internet site billing itself as "Your No. 1 Source for Professional Wrestling Online," WWF Chairman Vince McMahon called the decision "discriminatory, hypocritical, and an affront to free speech."

Athletes of Century
Wayne Gretzky raised the profile of hockey like no other player and broke an astonishing 61 records with a creativity the sport had never seen.
He won the scoring championship 10 times, the MVP award nine times and four Stanley Cups. He finished as the NHL's career scoring champion and it's not even close.

Amarillo rattles Cotton Kings 4-1
AMARILLO It's not lock, stock and barrel. But unlike the rest of the Western Professional Hockey League, the Amarillo Rattlers own the Lubbock Cotton Kings at home.

Robinson sweeter fighter than Ali
NEW YORK (AP) Sugar Ray Robinson, poetry with a punch, is the Fighter of the Century.
He also was voted the greatest welterweight and middleweight boxer of the century by a five-member panel of experts assembled by The Associated Press.

Restoration efforts reveal more detail inside Sistine Chapel
VATICAN CITY {AP} The Vatican completes its two-decade restoration of the Sistine Chapel on Saturday with the dedication of newly bright frescoes created by Botticelli and his peers more than five centuries ago.
Pope John Paul II will preside over the service celebrating the restoration of the frescoes, scenes from the lives of Jesus and Moses that line the chapel walls beneath the better-known frescoes by Michelangelo overhead.

What on Earth went wrong?
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) NASA abandoned any real hope Tuesday for the missing-in-action Mars Polar Lander and promised to investigate every aspect of the failed mission and delay future expeditions to the Red Planet if necessary.
The last, best chance to make radio contact with the spacecraft yielded only silence early Tuesday. A somber Richard Cook, the spacecraft's operations manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the flight team had ''played its last ace.''

Garber earns All-District honors
Texas Tech senior Lori Garber has been selected to the All-District V team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association for the second year in a row, the school announced Wednesday.

Najera, Sooners stop Hogs
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Eduardo Najera scored 18 points, often intimidated Arkansas' smaller shooters and came up with a couple of big steals as Oklahoma remained unbeaten with a 66-52 victory over the Razorbacks Tuesday night.

Tech takes easy way to down SFA 80-56
NACOGDOCHES Nearly a year to the day after being upset by Stephen F. Austin on their home floor, the Texas Tech Red Raiders left no doubt as to the outcome of their visit to East Texas on Wednesday.

Mary Hardin-Baylor turns away LCU
BELTON (Special) Chris Smith recorded his second double-double this season as Mary Hardin-Baylor downed Lubbock Christian University 68-57 Tuesday, handing the Chaparrals their first loss of the season.

Leach tours Tech facilities after meeting
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mike Leach toured the Texas Tech athletics facilities in Lubbock Tuesday night after a morning interview in Dallas for the school's vacant head football coach's position.
Leach, 38, is the front-running candidate for the job, sources close to the situation told the Avalanche-Journal. He interviewed in Dallas with Tech chancellor John Montford, Tech athletics director Gerald Myers, Tech regent Alan White and Tech regents chairman James Sowell. Leach was then flown to Lubbock for meetings, dinner and a tour of the Tech facilities.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator takes job as Texas Tech coach
LUBBOCK, Texas {AP} Mike Leach, offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, was hired today as Texas Tech's head coach.
"We're really excited about having Mike as the next football coach," Myers said. "I think Mike, with his exciting, wide-open style of offense, will excite the fans, gain national recognition for the university and attract top recruits," Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said. "It will bring a whole new level of excitement to Texas Tech football."

Leach to take job with Tech
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mike Leach will be announced as the 13th head football coach in Texas Tech history today during a 10 a.m. news conference on the school campus, The Avalanche-Journal learned Wednesday night.
Leach, 38, could not be reached for comment after he finalized his decision sometime after 8 p.m. Sources close to the situation, who asked not to be identified, told The A-J that Leach is set to sign a five-year contract with a buy-out clause that would make it difficult to leave Tech in the interim.

College Notebook December 9, 1999
Virginia Tech defensive end Corey Moore, once labeled too small to play big time college football, won his second award this week Wednesday when he received the Lombardi Award as the nation's top collegiate lineman.

Elephant to get new home
EL PASO {AP} An Asian elephant named "Sissy" will leave the El Paso Zoo for a new home in Tennessee.

Senator intervenes in case involving son
AUSTIN {AP} State Sen. Bill Ratliff has sparked a state investigation into a purchasing dispute involving a company that employs his son as a lobbyist, according to a published report.

A&M ceremony honors bonfire victims
COLLEGE STATION {AP} Texas A&M students, mourning the loss of 11 fellow Aggies killed in the Nov. 18 collapse of the annual bonfire stack, gathered Tuesday night for another hallowed tradition Silver Taps.
Several hours after sunset, thousands of people family members, students and friends of the deceased stood silent for 45 minutes near the center of the darkened campus. Only the sounds of traffic in the distance and an occasional cough interrupted the still until a firing squad delivered a 21-gun salute and a pair of buglers played a special arrangement of the military funeral song.

Texas inmate put to death for hatchet slayings
HUNTSVILLE {AP} Despite a suicide attempt and a last-minute effort by his lawyers to have his execution postponed, David Long received lethal injection Wednesday night for the hatchet slayings of three women in Lancaster in 1986.

SA evacuates thousands as rig crashes, spills acid
SAN ANTONIO {AP} A truck wreck and chemical leak on an interstate highway near downtown San Antonio forced several thousand people from homes, businesses and schools Wednesday.
The tractor-trailer rig tipped over during rush-hour traffic about 8:45 a.m. on a curving ramp where Interstate 35 meets Interstate 10 on the northwest corner of downtown.

Authorities investigate deer deaths
Texas Parks and Wildlife officers are seeking information about five deer that were hunted and found dumped near 114th Street and Frankford Avenue on Tuesday morning.

Hunt accused of sex acts with in-law
DALLAS {AP} Lamar Hunt, Jr., son of sports magnate Lamar Hunt and a member of one of Texas' most prominent and wealthiest families, has been accused in a civil lawsuit of making unwanted advances on his mentally disabled sister-in-law and having sex with her.

Administrator to oversee charter schools
AUSTIN {AP} A retired school administrator will oversee four charter schools run by a Michigan-based company that abruptly closed its Austin charter school last week without notifying students' parents.

Texas, Mexico officials tackle trade issues
AUSTIN {AP} Representatives from Texas and four Mexican border states met Wednesday to discuss trade, economic development and other issues in what officials said would be the first of many state-level talks between Mexico and Texas.

Student wounds five in unprecedented Dutch school shooting
VEGHEL, Netherlands {AP} A teen-age student apparently bent on revenge opened fire inside a high school in the Netherlands on Tuesday, wounding a teacher and four students in the first school shooting in Dutch history.
In a drama now chillingly familiar in the United States but unprecedented in this country known for its strict gun-control laws, the 17-year-old suspect fired more than 10 shots inside the regional vocational school in Veghel, about 60 miles south of Amsterdam.

Shooting blamed on family feud
VEGHEL, Netherlands {AP} A feud between rival Turkish families inspired a 17-year-old student to open fire in the Netherlands' first school shooting, a brother of one of the five victims told investigators Wednesday.

Status of Saddam's arsenal raises questions
WASHINGTON {AP} More than a year after U.N. arms inspectors left Iraq, the issue of whether Saddam Hussein has used the time to rebuild his weapons program is vexing U.S. policy makers and stirring debate on the campaign trail.

World mostly silent despite anger as Russia presses war on Chechnya
ANKARA, Turkey {AP} Major world powers and several Islamic states have condemned Russia's campaign against Chechnya, but none are threatening sanctions or other measures against Moscow.
Russia, which is threatening to destroy the Chechen capital if its rebel government doesn't admit defeat, still has a huge army of concern to its immediate neighbors. Few countries are willing to anger Moscow's government or add to its fragility, especially at a time many are seeking better economic ties with Russia.

Israel, Syria agree to resume land-for-peace negotiations
JERUSALEM {AP} Israel and Syria agreed Wednesday to resume the land-for-peace negotiations they broke off in 1996, starting next week in Washington. President Clinton, announcing the dramatic agreement, called it a breakthrough but acknowledged "the road ahead will be arduous."

EU cannot agree on artists' royalties
BRUSSELS, Belgium {AP} The European Union failed Tuesday to agree on a regulation granting artists in all 15 EU nations the right to claim royalties on the resale of their work.

Libyans face charges of conspiracy
CAMP ZEIST, Netherlands {AP} A Scottish judge ruled Wednesday that two Libyans must face conspiracy charges in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, while prosecutors said they wanted some of their witnesses including intelligence agents and a Libyan informant to testify in disguise.

Yeltsin visits China, seeks support on Chechen policy
MOSCOW {AP} Just two days after being discharged from the hospital, President Boris Yeltsin flew to China Wednesday to seek support for Russia's military campaign in Chechnya and help in countering U.S. global influence.